Hearts Attached by Scarlet Wolfe

I fought back.”
    I might vomit. I’m paralyzed, unsure of what to say or do as Kenzie walks past me and out of the room, but I can’t stand by and watch him hurt her another day.
    Liv’s talking to me, but I can only focus on the image of Mr. Baker hurting Kenzie. Running out of Liv’s room and down the stairs, I hear her calling for me, but I keep going.
    I cross our yard and the neighbors until I’m standing in front of Kenzie’s front door. Hearing her crying and her dad yelling pushes me over the edge.
    The accumulation of pain I’ve felt, and most importantly, watched her feel, is eating me up inside. I turn the handle and it’s unlocked, so I storm in.
    My heart is pounding, and I want to kill the man, when I see him holding a handful of Kenzie’s hair in his hand. She’s bent over the wooden kitchen table as he strikes her with the belt, the snap raising the hair on my arms.
    Ensuring there isn’t evidence, he’s usually strategic in how and where he hits her. He pulls back his belt before I grab his arm.
    “Don’t you hit her ever again!”
    Mr. Baker looks stunned, when he turns his head and sees me, but the fury soon returns to his eyes. Kenzie says it’s as if her dad is someone else when the dark storm washes over his face.
    Over six feet tall with a broad build, he’s a business man who is built more like a construction worker. His blonde hair is thinning, and he smells of alcohol.
    “Get off of me, and go home, Luke. This doesn’t concern you.” He attempts to turn back to Kenzie, but I won’t let go of his arm.
    Determined and angered, he jerks it toward him. It flies back, hitting me right in the mouth, causing me to release him. I hear Liv crying as I stumble back.
    Blood begins to drip from my mouth, so I hold one hand over it. The other is in a fist, and I want to hit him with it.
    Mr. Baker’s expression changes to one of panic as he releases Kenzie. She rises and turns to look at me, tears running down her cheeks.
    For a few seconds, the four of us stand motionless in the kitchen. Liv and Kenz are crying, and Mr. Baker and I are having a staring showdown.
    “Luke, I–I’m sorry I hit you. I didn’t mean to. I was only trying to get my arm free. Let me get you a paper towel and some ice for that lip.”
    He runs a hand through his hair before he nervously goes to the kitchen counter. The metal from the belt buckle clinks loudly as it hits the counter, causing Kenz to jump.
    “I don’t want any help from you, and Kenzie is going back to our house to spend the night, or I’m telling my parents what you do to her,” I threaten angrily.
    Mr. Baker turns and studies me, weighing whether he believes I’ll tell. He has to have at least a hundred pounds on me, yet I now feel like the powerful one.
    “Get your things for school tomorrow, McKenzie, and the three of you get out of here,” he says, knowing he’s cornered.
    Liv and I go upstairs with her, and without a word, Kenz gathers things from her bathroom, while Liv finds her some clothes. I grab her backpack, and we hurry down the stairs and out the front door.
    “Luke, what are we going to tell Mom and Dad?”
    “I’m going to tell them I finally stood up to that bully down the street, Samuel.”
    “What if you get in trouble?” Kenz asks.
    “I won’t. Dad hated how that kid picked on me when we were younger.” The adrenaline is still coursing through me, and I realize I’m grinding my teeth when we reach the front door of our house.
    Luckily, when we walk inside, my mom is not in the family room. We sneak past the kitchen, where her back is to us at the sink, and run upstairs.
    I go into the bathroom to clean my mouth. No sooner than I start to shut the door, Kenzie is standing before me. “Can I come in?”
    “I can handle it.” I attempt to shut the door, but she stops me.
    “Please, Luke. I feel terrible.”
    Sighing, I let her in and leave the door open. I don’t need my mom finding us alone together in the